The present invention relates to an apparatus for regulating the flow of fluids, and, more particularly, to a solid state natural gas regulator capable of low cost production and operation and suitable for electronic feedback control.
Gas-fired appliances and systems in residential, commercial, and industrial applications are equipped with mechanical regulators which are well-known and have remained essentially unchanged for many years. Mechanical regulators typically include diaphragms which step-down the pressure in a gas feed line to a pressure acceptable for use. A significant disadvantage of these regulators is that they cannot be easily or inexpensively interfaced with electronic feedback control. In the regulation of natural gas, for example, this disadvantage becomes an increasingly serious obstacle to efficiency, even as more sophisticated sensors are developed for monitoring combustion efficiency. A need for monitoring combustion efficiency may arise, for example, where the mixing of natural gas from different suppliers results in a gas supply of variable heating content, or where feed line pressure varies greatly.
Numerous commercial and industrial processes involving other gases also use electronic sensors and control elements which seek to determine and control gas partial pressures. Regulators amenable to electronic feedback control are sought both to optimize operational efficiency as well as to produce higher quality products by more effective control of gases used in those processes.
Accordingly, the need exists for inexpensive, solid-state regulators which may be readily interfaced electronically with control and monitoring systems. The regulator should be capable of low cost production, and have relatively modest electric power requirements. Moreover, the regulator should be applicable to a wide variety of gases and liquids to satisfy the need for solid state regulators in a variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications.